The Samaria Gorge is a national park and one of the major tourist attractions on Crete. Some say the gorge is 18 km long but this refers to the distance between Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the coastal village of Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16km long, starting at an altitude of 1250m, at the north entrance. The walk through the park is 13 km with an extra 3 km to Agia Roumeli. The most famous part of the gorge is the 'Iron Gates', where the sides of the gorge are 4m and reach up to 500m. At Agia Roumeli walkers catch the boat to Hora Sfakion and then a bus back to Chania. The walk takes between four and seven hours and can be strenuous in high summer.
